Replies

1. 
   BenA | May 25, 2004 01:15am | #1

   Grande: You come to the right place, im sure every one here will give you a review of their favorite table saw. Mine is Makita 2703 10 in. , I happen to like Makita products , I haven't had on that let me down yet. Other people will have a different option , but that's OK. I think most will select the Bosch 10in.saw Lets see who get the most votes. good luck on you purchase

   PS purchase your tool from a local tool distributor so you can get service if you need it. 

2. 
   Sphere | May 25, 2004 01:46am | #2

   5 letters

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   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations. 

3. 
   Dustmight | May 25, 2004 01:49am | #3

   Grande - It would be helpful to know what type of saw you were hoping to get or what type of work you'll be doing. I don't know of an objective source to get comparisons from. The recommendations will change depending on your needs. Stationary woodworking saw or portable jobsite saw?

   At the high end of your price range, the best bang for the buck in a stationary contractor saw IMHO is a Grizzly G0444 for $435 ($510 delivered)....1-1/2hp induction motor, great Biesemeyer type fence and a cast iron miter gauge with a standard 27" x 40" table. For $525 ($600 delivered) they have the 0444Z that adds cast iron wings and a 2hp motor. For < $600, Ridgid 3650, Jet, Delta 36-650, and Craftsman (in order of my preference) offer similar saws, but none offers a fence as robust as the Grizzly's. $650 will get you a #1 ranked General International 50-185M1. Bridgewood also offers a great contractor saw for < $600, but s/h can get steep. Mobile bases are available for all of these, many have the option of going with a 52" rip capacity.

   For ~ $300 the Ryobi BT-3100 is fairly popular. It's a step up from your benchtop, but still has a universal motor, smaller table, less robust fence and trunnion construction than a full contractor saw, but does have a small sliding miter table.

   If you need a jobsite saw, Bosch, Ridgid, and DeWalt seem to get the most attention. Craftsman, Ryobi, PC and Makita all have their fans. They all offer good portability, and some are very versatile, but all have table size limitations and the same issues with universal motors. (noise, longevity, power).

4. 
   forestgirl | May 25, 2004 08:19am | #4

   Scotty is right on with his recommendation of the new Grizzly contractor's saw.  I have been tempted more than once to sell my old Jet saw and order the Grizzly.  If you been using a little bench-top saw, you will not believe the difference when you run a "real" saw with a Beis-clone fence!!!!

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)